Moments Like This

You know how every now and then we just randomly remember a moment in our past that makes us cringe? Well, I had one of those last night, and although it made me cringe, it also made me smile because it reminded me of my childhood a little bit, which was a good thing.

_{photo by Nathan Dumlao}

So last night, a WhatsApp meeting was being held with everyone in the family, and by everyone I meant my extended family too. I was one of the first people to connect to the call because I didn't want them making me the topic of discussion. The last thing you want in an African home is everyone talking about you where they're all gathered in one place.

So I got there, and everyone else started connecting one at a time. When my uncle connected (my dad's problem), I immediately remembered one time when he had visited us while I was a kid. He would occasionally come to see us, stay for an hour or two, and then leave.

On this particular day, he had left my dad inside and went to sit with me and my mom at my mom's shop. At the time, I had this little Java phone, and I wasn't working or doing anything to earn money, so I would occasionally disturb my prayers to help me buy data so that I could download some games.

Well, on that day, I decided to be clever and try to ask my uncle for money, but rather than just go directly to you and ask, I had added some “sense” to it. While he and my mother were talking, I blurted out of nowhere, “It's been so long since I bought data for this phone ooo.”

The moment I said that, what followed next was silence for, like, two seconds before they both resumed their conversation, but it felt like an hour. I had made that statement, hoping that my uncle would get the message and be kind enough to give me some money, but he didn't.

After he left, my mom called me and told me that she knew exactly what I did and when I did it. She said it in a form of mockery, and we both laughed about it, but every time I think about that moment, I wish I never did that, but it always makes me feel some kind of way.